Archive for July 21, 2012
Commissioner Johnson Urges Bear Smarts
Editor’s note: This is good information, and we hope people will heed it. Bear in mind also: similar precautions are warranted with ALL wildlife. For the most part, fear of humans is one of an animal’s best friends, helping them avoid the kind of problems that can arise when interactions become too close.
by Catherine Lopez, Bernalillo County Public Information Department
Safer Community for Residents and Bears
Bernalillo County – Commissioner Wayne A. Johnson encourages county residents, especially those in the East Mountains, to take precautions with bears.
Residents are encouraged to make their homes and yards bear proof to increase safety for both bears and people.
“A bear’s eating behavior can alter after just one meal. Once the bear identifies a resident’s home as a source of food, it will continue to go back,” says Commissioner Wayne A. Johnson. “Eliminating their access to our trash is the number one thing people can do to prevent a problem.”
One of the biggest attractions for bears is unsecured garbage, and bears will often visit a same spot again and again. Other big lures for bears are bird feeders, pet food and barbeque grills.
A little prevention can go a long way. Residents should place bird feeders out of reach, and bring them in at night. Also, barbecue grills should be cleaned and stored; trash should be secured in a garage or shed; and garbage should be placed outside only the same day of pickup. Each of these steps can deter bears significantly.
The danger in attracting bears is that the animals can become comfortable with humans, which can lead to problems for people and these animals.
As bears get used to feeding off trash, they tend to become more bold and aggressive. Looking for more, they could start breaking into homes and cars and become less fearful of people.
Right now, bears are consuming anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 calories a day. In a few weeks, they will begin to prepare for hibernation and will need to eat as many as 15,000 to 23,000 calories a day.
For more tips on bear proofing your home and yard, please visit www.bernco.gov.
Grow Your Own: It’s A Jungle Out There, Kiddies…
by John Weckerle
We interrupt this hiatus to bring our readers an update on our horticultural efforts, which this year have focused primarily on Bed 5, dedicated to vegetables, and Bed 6, the herb garden. (Bed 1 has been moved to the vicinity of Bed 5, as Beds 2 and 3 will be; Bed 4 is mainly floral this year, although we got some great snow peas out of it at the beginning of the season) Bed 6 is doing just fine and we look forward to some basil pesto here before too long.
Bed 5
As the photo of Bed 5 shows, most of our veggies this year are coming along nicely. We still have not seen any tomatoes, although given the emergence of flowers we expect to see them before long. The eggplants have started setting fruit, and we’ll keep a close watch in anticipation of eggplant parmigiana, eggplant lasagna, and a host of other nifty dishes beginning sometime in the next couple of weeks or so. The cauliflower looks extremely healthy. Unfortunately, the broccoli took a beating from some sort of tiny beetle, although several have survived and seem to be doing well. Something is eating the fruits of the green bell peppers, and we fear that we may have to set a mouse trap; however, we have heard rumors of a beetle that usually feeds on alfalfa that has gotten food-eclectic this year, so we’ll try picking up some diatomaceous earth to see if that helps.
Today’s Loot!
Our current big producers are the green beans (several bush varieties). As the photo shows, we’re pulling in some fairly good quantities and are enjoying them greatly. They go great with the dill growing next to the tomatoes, and we have a number of recipes lined up given the amount we have to eat. If all else fails, we can blanch and freeze them.
Have a very fruitful day!